Meet Tony Natalizio | Musician/Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Natalizio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’m inspired by people that are really good at what they do and/or are very successful at what they do. I’m inspired by people that I both know personally and don’t know at all that fit that criteria. It’s inspiring to see people succeed, learn, grow, and sometimes fail. So I guess people inspire me.

I draw inspiration from many places and in many ways. I have a lot of irons in the fire so I can shift my focus to things that inspire me…usually. I try to capture inspiration when it comes. We have computers in our pockets so even if I can’t capture the inspiration with full focus I can at least write something down, record a 3 seconds video clip, or save a video.

I often find myself participating in forced inspiration. I do my best to manage my time and if I set time aside to do things that require inspiration then I leave myself no choice but to be inspired. It seems there is inspiration on tap these days; the internet and social media being the main factors to that statement. I follow people who inspire me. So there’s never a short supply of inspiration to be found.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is music and custom merchandising. I own and run a screen printing shop by day and I”m a professional musician by night. Both of my careers are highly artistic and I”m fortunate to have figured out a way to make a living doing so. There’s been a lot of challenges but so far nothing that can’t be overcome with hard work, determination, and patience.

There are a few exciting things happening within this year. I have some new music being released with producer, Josh Walker that will be released this year. It has been a lot of fun getting back to recording music and I can’t wait to get the music out.

Ink Sounds is hosting a benefit for shop manager, Nick Parker. He was run over by a truck a few months ago and was in the hospital nearly a month with a broken back and major road rash. After several surgeries he was released to begin rehabilitation and light work. We’ll be out at Lone Pint Brewery in Magnolia, TX on September 24th starting at 11am to raise some money for him in this difficult time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being a musician I get to perform at some cool places around Houston. Houston is huge. There’s a ton of amazing things to eat, drink, do, and experience in this city. So I’d just have them ride along. Experience a day in the life of a Houston business owner and musician. It is fast paced, which is quite different from my small town Ohio childhood. I”m still discovering awesome places and I’m sure I will continue to do so throughout my time in Houston.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife definitely deserve recognition in my story. It’s really our story after all. Without the love and support of my wife and kids nothing would be possible. I’d like to shoutout all my clients with my merchandising company, Ink Sounds, and all the great venues and musicians I get to work with in my music career.

Website: www.tnatmusic.com, www.inksounds.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/inksoundshtx, www.instagram.com/tnatmusic

Facebook: www.facebook.com/inksoundshtx, www.facebook.com/tnatmusic